"Happiness", an illustration inspired by The Myth of Sisyphus, Albert Camus.
One afternoon in 2018, I sat in my bedroom. It was a very quiet sunny day. I felt bored. I thought about death, about lovers, about new born lives, sunshine, and loneliness. “What if I die right now?” This thought crossed my mind.
Death is a question people are afraid to talk about and face. I thought about suicide at that moment. But all I did was sitting on my bed. Then I randomly pick up a book I bought many years ago- and it basically changed my life.
It’s not a basic self help book. It went straight forward targeting our fear about death and our seemingly meaningless life routine. Sometimes we feel tired and sad about our same routine- wake up, work, eat, shower, sleep. And you continue it over and over again. However it said it’s the persistence means the most - the power of persistence and realization of the non-changeable facts. You are an awakened soul.
It’s a very logical yet emotional book. At that point I felt someone truly understood what I felt. That’s the power of a good book - like a listener that sit next to you quietly, and like a lover gently petting your head.
𝓗𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓼, 2020
© Linghsiu Alice Tsai
